Absorber for absorption refrigeration plants



INVEN TOR.

GLE/V/V F. 2514/10 EFER M A TTORNEYS.

1935. e. F. ZELLHOEFER ABSORBER FOR ABSORPTION REFRIGERATION PLANTS Original Filed Jan. 12. 1933 Patented Jan. 15, 1935 I l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ABSORBER FOR ABSORPTION REFRIGERA- TION PLANTS r I Glenn F. Zellhoefer, Bloomington, Il l.

Original application January 12, 1933, Serial No. 651,306. Divided and this application August 28, 1933, Serial No. 687,046

3 Claims. (Cl. 261-122) This inventionrelates to absorption refrigerais arranged in the center of the upper cover of tion plants and more particularly to an abthe cylinder 1 which communicates by means of sorber forming a part of the refrigeration sysa pipell, through a valve, hereinafter described, tem. This application is a division of this applito the pipe 12 for conveying the weak liquor from cants prior co-pending application Serial No. the still and discharging same in a spray through 5 651,306, filed January 12, 1933. nozzle into the interior of the upper chamber Absorption refrigeration plants include a solof the casing 1. vent and a refrigerant; a still to distill the refrig- The gaseous refrigerant from the evaporator erant from the solvent; a condenser to condense enters the absorber between the diaparagm 5 10 the gaseous refrigerant to a liquid state; an and porous plate 4, passes up through said porous evaporator in which the liquid refrigerant isvaplate and the thin layer of liquor collected thereporized at reduced pressure; an absorber in which on, and is entrained in the spray of weak liquor the gaseous refrigerant is dissolved in the solissuing from the nozzle 10, forming a solution vent; a system of heat exchange; and means with the weak liquor, which, as its level rises effecting or causing circulation. above the conduits 6, is discharged into the lower 15 It is an object of this invention to provide an chamber below the diaphragm 5. The solution absorber for such a system which is simple in or strong liquor is drawn from the bottom of the construction and efficient in operation. It is a lower chamber through .pipe 13 to the intake side further object of this invention to design an abof a still. Any of the liquor which may pass sorber to effect the solution of the refrigerant in through the plate 4 and collect upon the dia- 20 the solvent by means of both a spray of the weak phra'gm 5 flows by gravity to the lower chamber liquor and the bubbling of the gaseous refrigerby the drain 7 and trap 8. ant through the solution. It is preferable to provide a float-operated valve With these and other objects in view, reference interposed between the pipe 11 leading from the is made to the accompanying sheet of drawing nozzle 10, and the pipe 12 leading from the still, 25 which illustrates an embodiment of this invenwhich is controlled by the level of strong liquor tion with the understanding that minor detail in the bottom chamber of the absorber. changes may be made without departing from the As showmthis float-operated valve comprises a scope thereof. casing 14 secured to the side of the absorber with Figure 1 is a view in transverse vertical section, a reciprocating valve stem 15 passing through an 3 with parts shown in elevation, of apreferred emaperture provided in the side thereof and enterbodiment of this invention. ing the lower chamber of the absorber. The

Figure 2 is a view in section taken on the line casing 14 includes a chamber 16 in communica- 2--2, Figure 1, looking in the direction of the tion with the pipe 12 conveying the weak liquor arrows. from the still through the heat exchanger and 35 The absorber is preferably in the form of a residual heat coil. The chamber 16 is enlarged metallic cylindrical casing 1 closed at each end to form a seat for a conical valve 17 on the stem and supported upon legs 2, as shown in Figure 15 and the enlarged side of the chamber is in 1. The pipe 3 leading the gaseous refrigerant communication with the pipe 11 leading to the from the evaporator enters the side thereof benozzle 10. Afloat 18 is pivotally mounted upona 40 low a horizontal partition 4 of silica dioxide bracket 19 extending into the lower side of the which forms a porous plate. The cylindrical casabsorber and is connected by a bell crank arm 20 ing 1 below the pipe 3 is provided with a metallic to the end of the valve stem 15, which is preferdiaphragm 5, dividing the casing into two ably provided with a metallic bellows stuffing chambers. This diaphragm 5 supports two box 21. The parts are so arranged that when the or more conduits 6 which extend through and liquid or strong liquor in the bottom chamber of for a short distance above the upper surface of the absorber reaches a predetermined level, it the porous plate 4 forming a means of commuwill cause the float 18 to rise and cause the valve nication between the two chambers. A drain head 17 to approach the seat and throttle the pipe '7 is provided which communicates with the supply of weak liquor to the nozzle 10 until 50 space between the plate 4 and diaphargm 5 and sufficient strong liquor has been drawn from the empties into a trap 8 which communicates with absorber to cause the float to descend and open the lower chamber. A water cooling system in the valve to again supply more weak liquor to the form of a coil of pipe 9 surrounds the inthe nozzle 10. terior of the upper chamber. A spray nozzle 10 This float-operated valve actuated by the level 55 of the strong liquor in the absorbent controls the flow of weak liquor from the still to the absorber and thereby prevents the accumulation of an excess of strong liquor. The float-operated valve also prevents the flooding of the absorber in the event the circulation is stopped.

What I claim is: I

1. An absorber for a non-intermittent absorption refrigeration plant comprising a chamber, means for spraying a solvent through the top of the chamber, means for delivering a gaseous refrigerant into the chamber, a porous plate extending across the chamber above the point of entry of said gaseous refrigerant, through, which the refrigerant must pass before being entrained in the solvent spray, means serving to maintain a layer of liquid solvent on said porous plate and for delivering the solution formed by the bubbling of the refrigerant through said liquid layer to the bottom of said chamber, and means for withdrawing the solution from the bottom of said chamber.

2. An absorber for a non-intermittent absorption refrigeration plant comprising a chamber, means for spraying a solvent through the top of the chamber, means for delivering a gaseous refrigerant into the chamber, a porous plate extending across the chamber above the point of entry of said gaseous refrigerant, through which the refrigerant must pass before being entrained in the solvent spray, means serving to maintain a layer of liquid solvent on said porous" plate and for delivering the solution formed by the bubbling of the refrigerant through said liquid layer to the bottom of said chamber, and means for with drawing the solution from the bottom of said chamber, an imperforate diaphragm below the entry of the gaseous refrigerant through which the means for delivering the solution passes, and a drain provided with a trap for conducting liquid passing through the porous plate and collecting upon the diaphragm to the bottom of the chamber.

3. The structure of claim ,1 wherein the porous plate is a disc formedof silica dioxide.

. GLENN F. ZELLHOEFER. 

